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USL Hartford Athletic

Hartford Host Red Bulls in Historic Open Cup Matchup

April 19, 2022 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Hartford Athletic News Release


Date: Wednesday, April 20th, 2022

Time: 7:00 PM ET

Location: Protective Stadium, Birmingham, Alabama

Local TV: WCTX MyTV9

Streaming: ESPN+ or hartfordathletic.com/watch

HARTFORD ATHLETIC (0-4-1) vs NEW YORK RED BULLS (3-2-2)

LAST TIME OUT:

Hartford Athletic are coming off a 2-0 road loss to Miami FC last Saturday. Miami struck early in the first half when Kyle Murphy got behind Hartford's back line and tapped a shot past Jimmy Slayton. Behind some admirable determination from Joel Johnson, the Green and Blue would out shoot Miami seven to three in the second half and record 12 touches in their box, but the effort was not enough to find a goal. In the 87th minute, Romeo Parks provided the knockout blow to Hartford with Miami's second goal.

GET OUT ON THE FRONT FOOT:

Hartford Athletic have found themselves chasing almost every match from behind, as they've conceded first all but twice so far in 2022. In addition, they've found just one second half goal, making come back efforts unsuccessful. Conceding early will all but solidify a loss for Hartford on Wednesday night, but If the Green and Blue can strike first, they will have a chance to pull off the upset over the New York Red Bulls.

FROM THE GAFFER:

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Hartford Athletic, Joel Johnson #30 DF

Over a cloudy five-week stretch, defender Joel Johnson has been a ray of sunshine for Hartford Athletic. The six-year USL Championship veteran has been a clear leader of this group, as he's not only been an integral part of Hartford's back line, but has been a spark to Hartford's offense as well. He scored a stunner of a goal against the Tampa Rowdies in a 1-1 draw, and scored against Oyster Bay United in a 3-1 Open Cup victory. Last week against Miami FC with his club down 1-0 at half, Johnson's determination for an equalizer was apparent in the second 45. He created two chances for forward Rashawn Dally in the half's opening minutes on well-struck crosses into the box, and overall, his energy on the pitch was superb.

New York Red Bulls, Aaron Long #33 DF

New York Captain Aaron Long has made the most U.S. Open Cup appearances by a field player on the Red Bulls' current roster with six. Long made his Open Cup debut in the first match of the Red Bulls 2017 Open Cup run, which saw the club reach their second U.S. Open Cup Final in franchise history. He's one of the five Red Bull players who has scored this season, and his Open Cup experience will be on display Wednesday night.

ABOUT THE OPPONENT:

The New York Red Bulls are out to a strong start in MLS play so far in 2022, as they sit at third place in the Eastern Conference and are coming off a 0-0 draw to FC Dallas last Saturday. So far, they've been led by midfielder Lewis Morgan offensively, as he has three goals.

INJURY REPORT:

Hartford Athletic:

Juan Carlos Obregón Jr.

New York Red Bulls:

Andres Reyes (7 game)

Wiki Carmona (7 game)

Cameron Harper (5 game)

Caden Clark (2 game)

Serge Ngoma (2 game)

JOIN THE CONVERSATION:

Follow along on twitter @hfdathletic and #USOC22

Check out the Hartford Athletic Statistics

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from April 19, 2022


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